Plumb-level.



T. N. ROACH. PLUMB LEVEL.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9,1907.

wanted N0v.17,11908.

QWLKW a in] ones a. some, 01 1' PLUnm-LEVEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tn'oims N. Horton, a citizen of the United States. residing at. Minncapolis in the crumt-y of Iltzlll'lQIZ-ili and Specification of Letters-Yetnt. Application sniper-barber 9, 1907. Serial No.

State of Minnesota, have invented certain i new and useful Improvements in Plumb-Levels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. tull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others" skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to pli'unb-ievels, and is in the nature of an improvement on the level disclosed .and claimed in my prior patent 602.87% of date April 26. 1898. prior patent, a thin cylindrical or circular chamber as half filled with a suitable liquid, such as alcohol; one side at least of this chamber is provided with a transparent wall exposed to view; and a graduated scale of annular form was located around or concentric with the said chamber. This previous device, while highly satisfactory in'niost,

respects, nevertheless had this defect that under expansion and contraction of the liquid and of the containing chamber or rescrvoir, the' upper surface of the liquid would not. always extend on a line that would truly intersect the axis of the reservoir.

The principal feature of my present in- In my said I 2 the level body l fis-cut'a-wa.

vention is directed to the elimination of the 1 above noted defect. This 1 accomplish by the provislon of an auxiliary. chamber or direct-1v visible at both sidhswafi' reservoir, which has conuuunication with the main chamber or reservoir of the level through a small passage. This makes it possible to run more or less of the liquid from the auxiliary reservoir into the main resorvoir, or vice versa. so that for any temperature an amountof liquid just sufiirrient. to halt fill the main chamber may be introduced into the latter. To'cut oll' communication from the main rcscrvoir to the auxiliary reservoir or chambmr. and vice vcrsu, a \zllVc. is placed in the conu'nunicatlug passage between the two chambers.

(loner-ally stated, thcinvcntion con ists of the novel devices and combiiuitious of devices hereinafter described and dclined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which lllllfitrain tbe'iuvcntion, like characters indicutc like parts tlu'oughout. the several views.

llcl erring to the drawings; Figure 'l. is a perspective view of my improved level. Fig.

3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken \'NEA?ULIS MIX is hermetically sealedby cement 6*.

tl'irough the central portion of thebodybf the level, and showing the improved main and auxiliary chambers applied therein. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line :r .22 of Fig. Eig..et-;is an enlarged section takemo th no .22", Fig. 1. 1 1g. 5 is .an enlarger e tip "takenen either of the two lines 5 -Eig,' 2', some,

parts being brolzen.du v;ay,; ,.andf g g} ti i s'a fib pl an view showing in d etail; the valve'iwhich controls the passage between the main and auxiliary chambers or reservoirs.

The body or stock 1 of the level is of the usual. rectangular form and, at. its central or intermediate portion, is recessed to receive and closely tit the main liquid reservoir or chamber 2 and the;connectcd supplemental reservoir or chambegnfi uvhieh, f Si ;fil constructcd of glass or ierutraz anni late- 175 rial and are connected ,kport-iondt. The body made np o said -,ts 2.,,3 ;and 4: is split or divided by a marginalv joint 6 that The joint- (i-i s an interlocking jointand, incross section." is tu-eferably constructed substantially as in my prior patent and in Fig. 5 of this application. 4

On lines concentric with and on opposite sides of the main liquidmlmaiiber orlrcservoir... 8

o, that-the liquid 2 contained 'withimthcureecrvoil'u2 is her level. Suitably secured to the opp'osite -sides of the level body 1 and. located in seats on the opposite sides of the main reservoir :2, are graduated conical dials 7 which, as shown,

hold lightmetal retaining rings 8 against the marginal portions of the said reservoir The dials 7 are graduated to indicate degrees, and ,zero marks are preferably placed degrees' apart and in such disposition that when the level body or stock 1 is in a truly horimotel-position the upper surface of the liquid .2 wili register with two of said zero marks; and when the said level body is in a truly vertical position the upper surface of the liquid 2 will register with the othcr two zero marks.

The so-called auxiliary? reservoir or chamber 3 is connected to the main rescnoir 2 3 through a restricted passage? formed in the neck port-ion i. Seated iuthe tub-sections of the neck portion 4. as best shown in Fig. 4. is a metallic bushing 10 in which works a threaded plug valve 11 havinga diametrically extended port 11-. The port 12 is adaptbe opened andclosed, at will, by a slight rotation or oscillatory movement of the thread- ,ed valve 11. Preferably a pliable packing 13 of leather, rubber or similar material is compressed between the inner end of the valve 11 and the closed end ofthe bushing 10, for the purpose of frictionally holding the said valve in any set position. The recess in which the screw valve 11 is exposed is normally closed bya plate 14 shown as countersunk into the side of and secured to the level body 1 by screws 15.

With the .above described arrangement of main and auxiliary reservoirs or chambers for the liquid, it is possible; at any time,

quickly to adjust the level of the liquid in the main chamber or reservoir so that it will extend on a line that truly intersects the axis of the said main reservoir or chamber. More particularly stated, if, due to a cha e in the temperature, the level of the liquid in the main reservoir is found to be above the axis thereof, the valve 11 may be opened and a portion ofthe liquid allowed to run from the main reservoir into the auxiliary reservoir so as to effect the proper adjustment or raduation, and then the said valve 11 should be again closed. If, on the other hand, at any time the liquid in the main reservoir should fall to a level below the axisv of said reservoir, the valve 11 may be opened and the required amount of liquid permitted to run from the auxiliary reservoir into the main reservoir.

What-I claim is:

1. In a plumb level, a stock or body, a transparent cylindrical main liquid-containing reservoir mounted in said stock, an auxiliary reservoir also, mounted in said stock,

having communication with said main reservoir through a restricted passage, and a valve arranged to open and close the'said 'conununicating passage between said two reservoirs, substantially as described.

2. A plumb level comprising a stock with a transverse opening through its sides, a transparent cylindrical main liquid containing reservoir seated in. said opening of said stock, an auxiliary reservoir having communication with said main reservoir a graduated dial extended circumferentiallyof said main reservoir, and a valve for opening and closing the communicating passage between said two reservoirs, substantially as described.

3. A plumb level comprising a stock with a central transverse o ening through its sides, a transparent cylindrical main liquid containing reservoir seated in said opening, a graduated dial extended circumferentially of said main reservoir, an auxiliary reservoir having communication with said main reservoir, an oscillatory valvearranged to open and close the communicating pas e between said two reservoirs, and a detac able plate applied to said stock and normally concealing said valve, substantially as described.

4. In a plumb level, the combinationwith a stock, having a transverse recess at min-- termediate portion, of a cylindrical main reservoir, an auxiliary reservoir and connecting neck formed by two glass or transparent sections cemented together and adapted to contain a liquid, substantially as described.

5. In' a plumb level, the combination with a stock having a transverse ope at its central portion, of a transparent cylindrical main reservoir seated in said transverse opening, an auxiliary reservoir and neck portion, formed by two glass sections cemented-together, a metal bushing set into said neck portion and constituting part of the conduit between the two reservoirs, and a diametrically perforated screw -threaded valve working in said bushing, substantially as described.

In testimony'where'of I atiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS N. ROACH.

\Vitnesses H. D. KILGORE, -F. D. MERCHANT. 

